Our nation is facing an opioid epidemic that has reached crisis levels; drug overdose deaths have surpassed car accidents and firearms as the leading cause of injury and death in the U.S. In 2014, 47,000 people died of drug overdoses, more than any other year on record, and opiate overdoses accounted for more than half of those deaths. For persons experiencing homelessness the crisis is not a new one, and the effects of addiction have an even greater devastating impact. As the Health Care for the Homeless community knows well, addiction can cause and prolong homelessness, and the conditions of homelessness complicate one’s ability to engage in addiction treatment.

This webinar, which complemented our recently published policy brief, identified challenges to treating opioid addiction with Medication Assisted Treatment (Buprenorphine) in a health center environment, and discussed provider practices to overcome these challenges to promote access and recovery. The webinar also provided an update on federal legislative and administrative efforts to address the opioid crisis and its impact on the delivery of treatment to persons experiencing homelessness.

This project is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant number U58CS06846, "S/RPCAs," total award $950K, with 65 percent of program funded by nongovernmental sources. This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.